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  • Kelly Tolhurst – 2020 Statement on Housing Adaptions

    Kelly Tolhurst – 2020 Statement on Housing Adaptions

    The statement made by Kelly Tolhurst, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, in the House of Commons on 3 December 2020.

    I am delighted to announce that the Government are releasing an additional £68 million for the disabled facilities grant in England. This funding boost for 2020-21 will help local authorities to provide more home adaptations and bolsters the £505 million that the Government already paid to local authorities for the disabled facilities grant in May, raising the headline total for the grant to £573 million this financial year.

    I recognise that following the outbreak of covid-19, local authorities have continued to display excellence, innovation, and resilience in maintaining the delivery of essential services under very challenging circumstances. The disabled facilities grant can play a critical role in both preventing hospital and care home admissions and supporting smoother discharge from hospital. This additional £68 million in disabled facilities grant funding will enable local authorities to deliver more home adaptations for those people with disabilities who qualify.

    I am pleased to confirm that spending review 2020 includes an investment of £573 million in disabled facilities grant funding for 2021-22, bringing the Government’s investment in the disabled facilities grant to over £4 billion since 2010. This further outlines our continued commitment to help older and disabled people to live independently and safely, and will provide some welcome certainty to local authorities as they plan their budgets for the coming financial year.

    The additional funding for 2020-21 is being provided by the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the better care fund and will be paid by my Department to London boroughs, unitary authorities, and county councils on 9 December. In two-tier areas, counties must pass the appropriate disabled facilities grant funding to their district councils.

  • Mims Davies – 2020 Comments on the Job Entry Targeted Support Programme

    Mims Davies – 2020 Comments on the Job Entry Targeted Support Programme

    The comments made by Mims Davies, the Minister for Employment, on 5 December 2020.

    Many people are sadly facing unemployment due to the pandemic, for the first time in years, and will need help to build their confidence, get back on their feet and apply for new roles – JETS gives people the tools and support they need to succeed.

    During such a challenging time, our new employment support is already helping thousands of jobseekers to get back into work and I’ve met with JETS providers to see first-hand the vital help this programme has already given people across Britain.

    Our Plan for Jobs is supporting people of all ages – we’re doubling the number of Work Coaches across our Jobcentres, creating thousands of opportunities for young people through our Kickstart Scheme and our SWAP scheme is helping people retrain in new industries.

  • Liz Truss – 2020 Comments on the UK and Egypt Deal

    Liz Truss – 2020 Comments on the UK and Egypt Deal

    The comments made by Liz Truss, the Secretary of State for International Trade, on 5 December 2020.

    This agreement is a clear signal of the UK’s enduring commitment to our close bilateral relationship with Egypt and will help strengthen trade and investment ties in the future.

    It will help provide both British and Egyptian businesses with new opportunities and provide them with the certainty they need to keep trading.

    The UK remains committed to securing deals that support British jobs, deliver significant savings and help drive the post covid-19 recovery.

  • Dominic Raab – 2020 Comments on the UK and Egypt Deal

    Dominic Raab – 2020 Comments on the UK and Egypt Deal

    The comments made by Dominic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, on 5 December 2020.

    This agreement highlights the strength of the UK-Egypt partnership, and reflects our shared ambition to build our cooperation on a range of important issues.

    Stronger trade links and more investment will grow our economies and help both our countries build back better from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Boris Johnson – 2020 Joint Statement with President von der Leyen

    Boris Johnson – 2020 Joint Statement with President von der Leyen

    The joint statement issued by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, and President von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 5 December 2020.

    In a phone call today on the on-going negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom, we welcomed the fact that progress has been achieved in many areas. Nevertheless, significant differences remain on three critical issues: level playing field, governance and fisheries. Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved.

    Whilst recognising the seriousness of these differences, we agreed that a further effort should be undertaken by our negotiating teams to assess whether they can be resolved.

    We are therefore instructing our chief negotiators to reconvene tomorrow in Brussels.

    We will speak again on Monday evening.

  • Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on Small Business Saturday

    Ed Miliband – 2020 Comments on Small Business Saturday

    The comments made by Ed Miliband, the Shadow Business Secretary, on 5 December 2020.

    Shops, pubs, manufacturers, hotels and hairdressers, beauty salons and suppliers, breweries and bakeries, and small businesses of all kinds have been on the frontline of the economic crisis.

    This is a day to celebrate the millions of these small businesses at the heart of our communities and the workers they employ. They represent the best of our country.

  • Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Small Business Saturday

    Keir Starmer – 2020 Comments on Small Business Saturday

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, on 5 December 2020.

    Small businesses across the country have made a monumental effort during this crisis. They have stepped up when it was most needed, supporting their local communities and making huge sacrifices to help tackle the spread of the virus. Now we must repay them.

    The Government must ensure businesses, particularly those facing the toughest restrictions, are supported to see them through the winter.

    This Small Business Saturday and beyond, we can all do our bit to stand by small businesses, by shopping safely where we live, including online, or ordering from local restaurants.

    On behalf of the Labour Party I want to celebrate the small businesses who are at the heart of our communities. We will stand by them over the crucial months ahead in fighting for the support they need.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2020 Comments on UK and Egyptian Trade Agreement

    Emily Thornberry – 2020 Comments on UK and Egyptian Trade Agreement

    The comments made by Emily Thornberry, the Shadow International Trade Secretary, on 5 December 2020.

    This is welcome news for UK firms trading with Egypt, but that cannot be the sole consideration when reaching an agreement with a regime like President Sisi’s, which has jailed, executed and disappeared hundreds of political opponents and human rights activists, brutally persecuted the country’s LGBT+ population, and seen Egypt become one of the world’s 10 worst countries for workers’ rights.

    In negotiating this rollover agreement to maintain Egypt’s current trade arrangements with the UK beyond Brexit, the government had both an opportunity and a responsibility to replace the toothless platitudes on human rights in the 2001 EU-Egypt agreement and its total silence on workers’ rights with meaningful, binding commitments on those issues, and serious, enforceable penalties.

    We wait to see what the signed agreement says on these points, but it would be a shameful abdication of responsibility if it simply replicates the 2001 deal, and would illustrate why we desperately need the Human Rights amendment to the Trade Bill that the House of Lords will debate on Monday. As President-Elect Biden has said, there should be no more blank cheques handed to a dictator like Sisi, and it would shame Boris Johnson’s government if that is what they’ve handed him today.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2020 Comments on a Brexit Deal

    Rachel Reeves – 2020 Comments on a Brexit Deal

    The comments made by Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office, on 5 December 2020.

    The British people were promised a deal and, with time running out, we urge both sides to get on with reaching an agreement.

    We can then focus on the job at hand which is securing the economy and rebuilding our country from the pandemic.

  • Home Office – 2020 Statement Following Appointment of Nimco Ali

    Home Office – 2020 Statement Following Appointment of Nimco Ali

    The statement made by the Home Office on 5 December 2020 following allegations of an irregular appointment.

    Nimco Ali has a strong track record of campaigning on violence against women and girls’ issues, raising awareness and educating people about female genital mutilation. She brings a huge amount of experience and passion to this role, providing independent advice to help inform government policy and challenge the status quo.

    Direct appointments with no competition are standard for short-term advisory roles and follow an established process.